


Shining Armor

by floatingpetals



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempted Sexual Assault, Bucky saves the day, F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, Minor Injuries, Panic Attacks, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-09-06 14:41:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16834618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/floatingpetals/pseuds/floatingpetals
Summary: A requested story. Bucky needs to escape his nightmares and goes for a walk. Along the way, he finds a woman in need of a knight in shining armor.





	Shining Armor

The night was always a struggle for Bucky. The horrors of his past would come rushing back to him, taunting him. He’d wake each night in a cold sweat, his heart pounding and throat raw from his screams. Bucky would never be able to fall asleep after that, his brain would keep the memories fresh. So instead, he’d find other means to calm his mind. Sometimes the only way he could succeed was with a quiet walk through the city. A walk he was taking right now, trying to soothe his frayed nerves.

Bucky would keep away from busier streets, finding crowds only amped his anxiety. Tonight, was different though. He didn’t know why, but something was tugging at his feet, calling him to turn down one of the busier nightlife streets. The street was one of the busy bar streets, drunks stumbling about as the hopped from bar to bar. At first, Bucky’s teeth were on edge. After watching several the men and woman stumble about, he couldn’t help being amused at their behavior. Perhaps even feeling a hint of jealousy towards the people who seemed so carefree. But that tugging came back, pulling him further down the street.

A door to a pub swung open down the walkway, and a disheveled woman rushed out the door. She glanced about frantically before turning to her right and darting down the street. Bucky frowned when three men stumbled out after, some still clutching bottles and slurring their words. They motioned in the direction of the woman and followed her retreating form. Alarm bells rang in Bucky’s head. He didn’t think for a second before he tailed the men who were hunting the scared woman.

They had turned a corner, momentarily disappearing from his sight. His picked up his pace, unsettled that he couldn’t see them any longer. A pained cry caused his heart to skip a beat and he kicked into overdrive. Rounding the corner, Bucky didn’t stop the snarl from what he saw.

The woman was shoved up against the brick wall, clutching at the set of arms that pressed her against it by her neck. The two others jeered at her, swaying in place as they too began to close in on the woman. The three were nearly a head taller than her, dwarfing her as they closed in. Bucky didn’t sit around to hear the words coming from their mouths. He didn’t think, just acted on instinct., silently slipping behind one of the drunks. He yanked on the drunk’s shoulder, the man spinning to face him. He snarled when he saw Bucky, spitting at his feet.

Bucky clenched his jaw and pulled his fist back, connecting it with the drunk’s jaw. The second drunk man shouted and launched himself at Bucky. Bucky sidestepped, bringing his knee up to connect with his stomach. The second drunk let out a pained shout, doubling over on the ground. Bucky gave him a swift kick to the ribs before he moved to the last, still holding the woman against the wall. He immediately dropped her, the woman’s body slumping against the wall. She let out a gasp, coughing as she struggled to suck in air.

“The hell, man?” The man turned to face Bucky, looking at his friends that laid writhing on the floor. “What’s your problem?”

“My problem? Are you a moron?” Bucky hissed, rolling his shoulders. His metal hand whirred, the plates shifting under his jacket, moving in time with his fist clenching. The man flinched but stood his ground. Bucky let out a snort when he saw how sloppy the stance was. The drunk was clearly the soberer of the three, but even as he rushed at Bucky, he stumbled on his feet. Irritated with the fact that the drunk thought he stood a chance, Bucky ended things quickly with a knee to the gut and another swift punch to the temple. The last of the three dropped, laying still on the concrete.

Glaring at the men spread out, Bucky slowly turned back to the woman who had slumped down the wall. He hadn’t paid much attention to her appearance before, more concerned for her safety. Now he could look her over, checking if there were any noticeable injuries. She looked so small on the ground, hair matted from her hasty retreat. She was in a black pair of jeans with a pale purple button down and a black leather jacket. His breath caught in his throat when she blinked up at him. However, on closer inspection, he frowned when he noticed red mixed in her hair and how she struggled to keep her head up. Bucky crouched in front of her, a hand hovering just beside the wound.

“Hey, you still with me?” He asked gently, searching for her face for some recognition. It took her a moment to answer, her head swimming as everything came rushing back to her. He saw the moment she realized it, her heart rate skyrocketing and eyes widening. She began hyperventilating, tears spilling down her cheeks.

“Oh god, oh god, oh _god_.” She chanted, reaching up to clutch her head with both hands. Her left hand pressed against the wound, pain shooting through her head. The woman cried out, her panic only grew when she realized how close things were about to head down hill. The man who save her spoke to her gently, reassuring her she was safe, that they wouldn’t hurt her. She tried to listen, but it was like someone kept hitting the repeat button. Repeatedly.

“Hey, it’s okay. Listen to my voice.” She did like his voice. It was low and soothing, the soft rumble settling some of the fear inside her. “That’s it, your breathing better. I need you to look at me.”

Hesitantly, the woman looked up to her savior. Her breath left her in a reason other than the panic. Kind gentle grey eyes watched her, his brows furrowed when she struggled to breathe correctly again. His face was framed with long brown hair, curling around the sharpest jaw she had ever seen. His build was large, thick and pure muscles, hiding her from the men that had thrown her against the wall. Any other normal day, she would have swooned. This man was gorgeous, and he had saved her. Lucky her.

“You okay? Your turning really red.” He spoke in that voice again that sent a shiver down her spine, a hint of amusement in the question. Numbly she nodded, her wide eyes never leaving his.

“Can you talk?”

“Um, I-yeah.” She stuttered. The man went to say something more, but a groan behind them caused them both to tense. Bucky sent a quick glance over his shoulder before he turned his attention back to his front.

“We need to get you out of here unless you want to deal with the more.” He stood fluidly, extending a hand to help her up. Without a second of hesitation, the woman reached to grab his hand, letting him tug her to his side. Bucky swiftly tucked her under his arm and left the scene behind them. It wasn’t until they were a clear area that was well lit did he stopped. Bucky turned to ask her where she was heading but noticed she was retreating into her memories of the night. She clung to his shirt, knuckled white from the grip, tears threatening to spill again. He knew that look. She couldn't handle being alone to deal with this tonight, not to mention someone needed to check on her head that was still bleeding.

“If I were to take you to my home, would you be okay with that?” Her head snapped to him, startled by the question. Ordinarily, she would say no. However, something about him made her feel safe. She didn’t even know his name and she felt completely safe in his arms. Nodding, she nestled further in his side. Bucky smiled gently and quickly led them down the sidewalk back to the tower. Along the way, he tried to distract her.

“What’s your name?”

“Y/N. You?”

“Bucky. Nice to meet you, Y/N.” He paused at letting out a short laugh. “Although, I wish it was under better circumstances.”

Their small talk continued, and both found it easy to talk to the other. He learned Y/N was in college and lived alone with her cat. She was at the bar with a friend, but the friend got lucky and left her behind. She was going to head out to her home but was stopped by her three attackers. She learned he was out on a walk because he couldn’t sleep, but he didn’t elaborate more than that. When the made their way to the doors of the Tower, she halted on the steps.

“You live here?” Bucky looked between her and the tower, raising a brow.

“Yeah?”

“Wait. Are you an Avenger?” That caused Bucky to blush.

“I guess so.” He said sheepishly, kicking a toe against the ground. Y/N turned beaming up at Bucky, startling at him with her sudden shift in behavior.

“That’s so awesome!”

Bucky struggled not to laugh at her enthusiasm as she gushed about the Tower, looking every which way to take it all in. When he led her to the medical bay, she all but exploded with excitement when a bleary-eyed Bruce came stumbling in. He questioned how she got her injuries, not missing how she grew tense and silent at the question. Bucky shot him a look that promised he’d explain later after Bruce patched her up. Her earlier excitement left her, even when he herded her towards his room. He sat her on the bed, stepping away to grab a shirt and pair of shorts for her.

“I’m going to go talk with Bruce really quick. The bathrooms right over there and you can change in there if you’d like.” He waited until he got a nod before leaving the room, casting one last worried glanced over his shoulder. He had a few things he needed to take care of before he could return to her side.

Twenty minutes later, Bucky knocked on the door before he entered. The lights were off apart from his bedside lamp, casting a soft glow in the room. Y/N was curled up under his comforter, only the crown of her head peeking out from the blankets. Bucky kicked off his shoes and moved to place a hand on her shoulder. She let out a startled gasp, jumping under the gentle touch.

“Sorry. Go back to sleep, I’m going to grab a few things and going sleep on the couch if you need me.” He whispered, squeezing her shoulder gently. He pulled back to go grab a change of clothes when a hand shot out from under the comforter to grab his metal wrist. Bucky froze. Y/N didn’t seem to notice his distress or didn’t care when she tugged on his arm with an iron grip.

“Please stay.”

Bucky struggled for words, a little thrown at her gentle plea. He nodded slowly, looking at her face to see if she was certain that’s what she wanted.

“I’m going to change. I’ll be right back.” Y/N reluctantly let him slip from her grip, watching his broad back as he moved to his dresser. She wanted to watch him move about, enamored by how graceful he moved about despite his size, but her eyelids grew heavy with the warmth that surrounded her. It didn’t faze Y/N that she was sleeping in a strange man’s bed, and had asked him to stay in the same bed. Even after the events of tonight, it didn’t bother her. She tried to forget the drunks that tried to assault her, choosing to focus on the man that saved her. He was her knight in shining armor. A knight she would be forever in debt to.

When Bucky emerged from the bathroom changed, he was greeted with a gentle snore coming from the lump on the right side of the bed. Chuckling under his breath, he grabbed a blanket from his closet and settled on top of the comforter. He wasn’t sure he would have been able to sleep that night, but lying beside her, listening to her gentle snores and breathing, Bucky felt himself being lulled to restful sleep.

* * *

“Baby, what are you doing up?”

Bucky blinked, pulled back to the present where he stood looking out the windows in his shared room. He turned to the gentle voice, his heart swelling when he saw the mess of hair poke up from the bed. Crossing the distance between them, Bucky settled on the side of the bed where the woman he had met a year and a half ago. She reached out for him, mumbling incoherently under her breath. He chuckled and pressed a kiss against her forehead.

“Nightmares?” She asked tenderly, nuzzling against his jaw. Bucky shook his head, hugging her close.

“No, just thinking of the night we met.”

Y/N sighed, that night forever etched in her memory. It took her a while to get back on her feet, but with Bucky by her side, it was much easier than she could have imagined.

“I’m glad that little voice in my head told me to go down that street. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“I’m glad you listened. You not only saved me, but you gave me more happiness than I could have imagined.”

Bucky hummed in agreement, pressing a kiss against her lips. He savored quiet moments like this when all that existed was them and the feeling of being together.

“Come back to bed. You gotta be up in two hours anyway.” Y/N whined when he pulled away. Chuckling under his breath, Bucky crawled over top of her and snuggled under the sheets with Y/N. Holding her close to his chest, he kissed her one final time before relaxing into the bed. Night used to be a struggle for him. Now, he found something that helped keep the nightmares at bay. Hugging the reason tighter, Bucky slowly slipped into a restful, dreamless sleep.


End file.
